Young Immigrants' Applications Fall

By

Miriam Jordan

Updated March 14, 2013 7:17 p.m. ET

The number of applicants for an Obama administration program that allows young illegal immigrants to remain in the U.S. dropped to its lowest monthly level yet in January, a decline that experts attributed to the possibility of a comprehensive immigration overhaul, lack of awareness and the cost to apply.

The Department of Homeland Security said that about 31,000 people applied for the program, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, in January, and fewer than 15,000 had applied by mid-February. That is down from more than 113,000 applicants last October alone, soon after the program started.

WSJ immigration reporter Sara Murray says negotiators have been tight-lipped as they try to hash out a deal and avoid public disputes. Key issues: figuring out the thorny details of a pathway to citizenship and setting rules for future workers.

The slowdown comes despite what DACA's proponents hailed as potentially life-changing benefits for those who qualify. In addition to lifting the threat of deportation, it grants a work permit to the immigrants, most of whom were brought to the U.S. as children. Critics of DACA have claimed that the program was implemented to boost President Barack Obama's support among Hispanics in the November election.

All told, about 1.8 million young immigrants are potential beneficiaries, according to estimates by the American Immigration Council, a national advocacy organization. By mid-February, the latest data available, about 420,000 people had applied, and about 200,000 cases had been approved.

When the government began accepting DACA requests on Aug. 15, immigrant youngsters and their families jammed school gyms and community centers where nonprofit and faith-based groups held workshops to help with forms.

"We saw a rush of applicants who stepped forward with all their documents in order," said Emily Creighton, a Council staff attorney. But "there are many more who are still afraid to come out of the shadows or who lack access to legal resources."

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Some immigrants are holding off because Congress has begun to consider an immigration overhaul that could offer legal permanent status to most of the 11 million illegal immigrants in the U.S.
Reuters

Some immigrants are holding off because Congress has begun to consider an immigration overhaul that could offer legal permanent status to most of the 11 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. The DACA program doesn't offer a green card or a path to citizenship, and participants must reapply every two years.

"Their parents are saying you might as well wait for immigration reform," said Josefina Beecher, a member of the board of the Skagit Immigrant Rights Council in Mount Vernon, Wash. Ms. Beecher recalls standing-room only crowds at DACA workshops held by the organization last year, but said a recent event attracted fewer than 30.

She and other advocates said that many applicants, who mainly hail from working-class families, are deterred by the $500 fee for applying. In some states, like Washington, private foundations and credit unions are starting to establish low-interest loan programs and other schemes for applicants of limited means.

Applicants must prove they arrived in the U.S. before they were 16 years old, be under the age of 31 now and have lived continuously in the U.S. for the past five years. If they are military veterans they must prove they were honorably discharged. They also must have graduated from high school or show they are working toward a high-school diploma.

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The education requirement poses a barrier: 23% of the potential recipients still need to fulfill it, according to the Skagit Council's estimates.

"Immigrants who work on a dairy farm aren't traveling to town for school," said Mary Jo Dudley, director of the Cornell Farmworker Program, which has been conducting workshops in rural upstate New York. "They came to this country to work."

Many immigrants are having trouble meeting the minimum requirements for enrolling in graduate equivalency degree, or GED, courses in some states, such as New York, according to Ms. Dudley.

Ms. Dudley's group isn't the only one trying to drum up interest in the program. United We Dream, which represents illegal young immigrants, plans to launch next week a national campaign to attract DACA applicants.

The group plans to join forces with local groups to bolster outreach and hold DACA events that will offer an array of services, including legal assistance, micro-loans and educational opportunities for potential applicants and their families. Mobile units will visit far-flung areas.

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